Automatically adjustable lock device



6, 1968 E. J. GRASER 3,395,791

AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE LOCK DEVICE Filed Feb. 27, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I? 151 49 f w 35 34 1 1/ 'T 1 :5 17

WW W INVENTOR. EARL J GRASER A TTORNE Y 968 E. J. GRASER 3,395,791

AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE LOCK DEVICE Filed Feb. 27, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [JG '4 INVENTOR.

EARL J. GRASER By m ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,395,791 AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE LOCK DEVICE Earl J. Graser, Monroe, La., assignor to Olinlrraft, Iuc.,

a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 618,719 7 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) In a blank for a wrap-around article carrier, a lock device which is operative to adjust for variations in package perimeter resulting from variations in size of articles packaged.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a wraparound blank having a stepped locking element defining at least a high step and a low step where each step is paired or :mated with a cooperating locking tab so that a carrier lock developed between the high step and its mating locking tib creates a perimeter dimension in the assembled wrap-around carrier in the region of the lock less than the perimeter dimension developed when the lock is effected by the low step and its mating locking tab.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from an examination of the succeeding specification and claims when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank embracing the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of an assembled carrier illustrating the carrier lock as viewed from the bottom exterior;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the carrier lock as viewed from the interior of the carrier looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows 3-3 in FIG. 2; the lock is developed by the high step and its mating tab;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but the lock is effected by the low step and its mating tab;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 as viewed along the line labeled 55;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 as viewed along the line labeled 6-6;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of FIG. 4 as viewed along the line labeled 7-7; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of FIG. 4 as viewed along the line labeled 8-8.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 shows a wrap-around blank having one end margin defining an inner margin 11 and an opposite end margin defining an outer margin 12.

Inner margin 11 is formed with looking elements 13 and 14 having high steps 16 and 17, respectively, and low steps 18 and 19, respectively. The difference in height between the high and low step is indicated by dimension B and dimension B represents the extent to which a carrier perimeter is extended or lengthened by shifting the locking function from a high step to a low step as will be described in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

Inner margin 11 is also formed with tuck flaps 21 and 22 which, although forming part of the lock illustrated, are not critical to the present invention.

Outer margin 12 is formed into two sections 23 and 24 separated by through-cut 26 and hinged to the main body of the blank 10 by score line 27.

Section 23 includes locking members or locking tabs 28-29 and section 24 includes locking tabs 313 2.

Each locking tab is operable to engage and make a locking connection with the particular step of the locking element with which the tab falls into register upon fabricating the carrier.

For example, tab 28 operates with high step 16 and tab 29 operates with low step 18.

Note, however, that for a givenlock element 13 (or 14) only one step will effect a locking function at a given time. For example, the locking action at lock element 13 is effected by cooperation between high step 16 and tab 28 or by cooperation between low step 18 and tab 29 in selective fashion as will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exterior view of a fully closed lock is illustrated and the locking function in both section 23 and section 24 is accomplished on the high steps 16 and 17, respectively. Thus, locking tabs 29 and 31 mating with low steps 18 and 19, respectively, are not 1n use.

Tuck flaps 21 and 22, hinged to inner margin 11, are shown overlapping outer margin 12 with their tips 33' and 34 (see FIG. 1) tucked into openings 36 and 37, respectively.

As stated previously, tuck flaps 21 and 22 are not part of the present invention but are illustrated and described in order to provide environment for the invention.

FIG. 3 is a view of the lock of FIG. 2 from the interior of the carrier with tuck flap 22 untucked for clarity.

Note tab 32 overlaps and locks with high step 17 while tab 28 overlaps and locks with high step 16.

Note that tabs 29 and 31 are free of mating low steps 18 and 19.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the disposition of tabs 31 and 32 and steps 19 and 17 from a sectional view. The dimension A in FIGS. 3 and 5 shows the distance between the edge of outer margin 12 and tuck flap hinge line 38 when a high step effects a locking function.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the interior of the lock of FIG. 2 with tuck flap 22 untucked and with the carrier lock being effected by low steps 18 and 19 and mating tabs 29 and 31, respectively.

Note that tabs 28 and 32 are displaced from their normal registration with high steps 16 and 17, respectively, because of a requirement to increase the perimeter of the package due to oversize articles K (compare dimension C of FIG. 4 to smaller dimension A of FIG. 3) with the result that tabs 28 and 32 are collapsed and are not in use.

The disposition of the lock elements of FIG. 4 are more clearly shown in the sectional views of FIGS. 7 and 8.

In FIG. 7, the dotted line position of the outer margin 12, section 24 and tab 32 show that tab 32 is blocked by high step 17. I

Thus, when section 24 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow to its solid line position, 'and margin 12 moves to its solid line position, tab 32 is collapsed and forms a return bend as shown in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8, locking tab 31 engages mating low step 19 and expansion in the perimeter of the carrier is apparent by comparing dimension A of FIG. 3 with dimension C of FIG. 8.

Stated otherwise, the amount by which dimension A is increased to produce dimension C is directly proportional to the difference in height between high step 17 (or 16) and low step 19 (or 18) indicated by the dimension B in FIG. 1.

Thus, dimension B represents a distance by which the perimeter of a wrap-around carrier is expanded or lengthened to accommodate oversize articles without sacrificing reliability of the carrier lock.

It is to be noted that in a given blank there may be more than one stepped locking element and it is entirely possible that a first stepped locking element such as the one designated 13 in FIG. 1 may lock on high step 16, while another such as 14 may lock on a low step 19 depending upon the size variation of the articles packaged in the region of a given lock.

In order to clarify the language of subsequent claims, the high step and its mating tab may be referred to as a 3 first pair of locking elements while the low step and its mating tab may be referred to as a second pair of locking elements.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mechanical lock device of the type frequently used to secure overlapping margins of a so-called wrap-around carton blank by the engagement of locking tabs with a locking element having an edge defining a straight line, the improvement comprising: a locking element formed with a locking edge having a plurality of steps and a complementary set of locking tabs arranged so that one locking tab is individual to each step, a first locking tab corresponding to a first step being operable to collapse effective to transfer the locking function to a second locking tab and its corresponding step automatically whenever oversize articles are encountered with in the wrap-around carton.

2. In a blank for a wrap-around article carrier, a dual lock structure for overlapping end margins comprising a first pair of locking elements operative to develop a predetermined perimeter dimension in a locked blank encircling said articles, and a second pair of locking elements operable in lieu of said first pair of elements to accommodate an increase in said predetermined perimeter dimension when said articles are oversize or distorted, one locking element of said first pair defining a high step and one locking element of said second pair defining a low step, said steps being adjacent one another and having generally parallel locking edges.

3. An automatically selective lock structure for uniting the free ends of a wrapper blank about a group of articles to form a package, said blank comprising inner and outer margins, said inner margin including a cut-out portion providing a plurality of steps each positioned a different predetermined distance from the free edge of said inner margin, said outer margin including a plurality of locking elements each positioned a predetermined dimension from the free edge of said outer margin, one of said steps and one of said locking elements being operative to form a blank having a first peripheral dimension whereas others of said Steps and locking elements are engagable and operative to form a blank having a different peripheral dimension to compensate for variations which occur in said groups of articles.

4. An automatically selective locking device for a wrapper blank adapted to encircle a group of articles, said wrapper blank including inner and Outer overlapping end panels, said inner panel including a cut-out portion defining a plurality of adjacent locking surfaces each spaced a different predetermined distance from the free end of said margin, said outer margin including locking means spaced a predetermined distance from the free edge of said outer margin and directed away from said free edge, said locking means on said outer margin being selectively engagable with the portion of said inner margin which will automatically form a wrapper of predetermined tightness and peripheral dimension about a group of articles to be packaged.

5. A selective double lock device for a carton having a pair of vertical side walls comprising an inner margin depending from one of said side walls and joined thereto along a transverse score line, said inner margin including a first tuck flap rotatable about a transverse score line to define an opening bounded on one side by a stepped locking edge, each step of which is positioned a predetermined distance from the free edge'bf said inner margin, said first tuck flap being rotatable into a position generally normal to said inner margin and being provided along its free edgewith at least a single tip, an outer margin adapted tooverlap said inner margin in a predetermined sequence and joined to the. other vertical side wall along a transverse score line, said outer margin including a section rotatably joined thereto along a transverse score line, said section including at least a single locking tab for each stepped edge of said locking bar rotatable therewith into a position normal to said outer margin, each tab on said outer margin being operative selectively to engage an aligned step on said inner margin to form a first lock and thus a package of predetermined tightness and peripheral dimension, said section being further provided with an opening to accommodate said tip when said tuck flap is folded into overlapping relation with said section to provide a second lock.

6. A lock device for a wrap-around article carrier blank operable to develop at least two different perimeter dimensions in a given carrier containing a given group of articles comprising an elongated blank of packaging material having a pair of end margins defining an inner margin and an outer margin adapted to overlap in a given sequence, said inner margin having at least two locking elements, said outer margin being formed with at least two locking members, one locking member being individual to and operable selectively to effect a locking action with a mating locking element so that one locking member and its mating locking element accommodates a predetermined perimeter dimension in the carrier blank when encircling articles, and the other locking member and its mating locking element accommodates a different perimeter dimension said locking elements being selectively operable with respect to said locking members without changing said given overlapping sequence.

7. A wrap-around package including a plurality of sim ilar articles whose dimensions vary within acceptable tolerances, said articles being encircled by a sheet of packaging material having opposed overlap ing end margins, said end margins overlapping in a predetermined sequence, the improvement comprising: a mechanical lock device for fastening the end margins together, said lock device comprising a first lock means corresponding to a first perimeter dimension in said package and a second lock means corresponding to a second difference perimeter dimension in said package, said lock means being selectively operable without changing said predetermined overlapping sequence.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,911,096 11/1959 Andre 206- 3,098,583 7/1963 Sherman et a1. 2294O XR 3,257,066 6/1966 Williams 20665 XR 3,314,590 4/1967 Tolaas 22940 2,299,697 10/1942 Gruber 2417.1 3,361,331 1/1968 Weiss 2416 XR DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

